Daily Times

For a country that is now experiencing a literacy rate of 59.9 percent as recorded on January 1, 2016, it would be fair to ascertain that empowering our future generations positively will increase these figures. The use of science and technology, besides promotion of research culture among the students, is an essential prerequisite to achieve growth targets. I was reading an article in Forbes magazine on how countries such as the UAE and South Korea actually applied scientific literature by the practitioners who worked with youth, referring to them as programmes designed to optimise developmental progress. And voila! The results are there for all to see.

Positive youth development through modern training is a term many have a misconception about in our country. The extremist segments of our society regard it as a negative step in the upbringing of our children. What everyone must understand is that technological up-gradation is of utmost importance if we are to survive in this ever-advancing and ever-changing world.

Government realises the importance of sensitising and channelising the youth in order to ensure successful future of the country. Government’s Punjab Youth Internship Programme (PYIP) is specially designed for the unemployed youth so they could obtain basic training to enhance their skills, which shall facilitate in obtaining a secure livelihood in the long term. It would assist the interns to get hands-on experience and enable them to apply their theoretical knowledge acquired in their educational institutes. The PYIP would also benefit the 20,000 fresh graduates who would receive a monthly stipend for the duration of this internship.

Similarly, Punjab Youth Help Line is another remarkable project of the provincial government working on issues related to emotional, psychological and reproductive health of adolescents. The PYHL’s mission is to work with everyone, especially vulnerable groups, to collectively strive for a society that is violence-free, self-aware and acknowledges others and itself in a positive manner.

On federal level, the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme is a revolutionary initiative for the socio-economic development of youth in a bid to combat soaring unemployment in Pakistan. It has a broad canvas of schemes, including the provision of interest-free loans, aimed at enabling youth and poor segments of population to get better employment, new opportunities, secure economic empowerment, skills needed for gainful employment, access to higher education and IT tools and access to on-the-job training/internship for young graduates to improve the probability of getting a productive job. The motivation and enthusiasm behind the Prime Minister Youth Laptop Scheme was to help students rise above problems and hurdles they face in their path to gain knowledge and professionally excel in all walks of life.

National Assembly, recently, passed the Futures Market Bill 2015, which targeted at regulating the futures market in an honest, competent and visible manner, besides providing safeguards to investors who trade in the commodity. Many graduates from some of our most reputable universities have rubbed shoulders with telecom giants, in assisting them to strengthen their markets not just in Pakistan but also globally. This bill was enthused by Parliamentary Affairs Secretary for Finance & Revenue Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan on behalf of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

Apart from launching programmes to facilitate the youth, the workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, under its committed leadership, are also sincere in their efforts, working in their personal capacity to help motivate and encourage the youth. The example of Maryam Nawaz, who is working extremely hard to uplift the education sector of the country without any official designation, is an example for everyone to follow. Such attitude towards the betterment of society not only motivates the aspiring women but also encourages other women political workers to contribute by applying the best of their abilities.

There are some political parties and religious groups in the country that exploit the innocent youth to fulfil their own hidden or blatant agendas. It is important for the youth to stay focused in their approach, independent in their thinking and be open to all opinions instead of blindly following one that apparently looks attractive but has secret designs and purposes. The youth of Pakistan needs knowledge-based learning more than education-based curriculum, as knowledge is the only tool that can open different mental horizons and perspectives, and shun the idea of one-dimensional approach towards life.

The writer is a graduate of LUMS and currently serves as an MPA of Punjab. She tweets at @hinaparvezbutt